Lost Girl: or Santa Carla, the Case of the Missing Girls
by Solitaire-Unraveling
Summary: This is from my character, Rowan's pov. She goes to Santa Carla to become a journalist and is on the scene for the recent missing persons and murders.
1. Chapter 1

Within a week I knew I was going to die.  
A week after meeting...them.  
Maybe I'm starting off on the wrong foot, but my story needs to be told. Mine is a song that has yet to be sung by so many girls who lived, and died just like me. So maybe you knew someone like me, young, aloof, goth, black hair, someone who was always seeking an adventure regardless of the cost. But you will never _really_ know the truth.

I was 19 that summer, I had just left home and took wing to California. I was new to the world, this kind of world in particular.  
But you never really know the world until you come to a place like this. Santa Carla, a humid town by the beach, a town with secrets kept locked away in dark caves and ocean waves. It was the kind of place I liked. Lots of attractions, countless good-looking guys and an active night life.  
I came here to pursue my career in journalism after I earned my associates degree in journalism and photography last summer. I was off to a good start after getting my first job in the in the field. I sent out blind resumes over the country and the only call back I received was from a local paper seeking an artist just like me. After leaving home I settled in to this mysterious beach community and began a new life. And I had never felt so _alive_.

Work was fairly easy. I had a flair for writing, and I eagerly awaited venturing out to the photography division. Soon enough I was there in the midst of the action. A recent series of murders had surfaced in the town and I was sent to prove myself. I was on the crime scene with a senior staff member who was there to report on the crime. I was told to brace myself, but no matter how many true crime shows I had been exposed to, I could ever have prepared me for the corpse. It was a young girl around my age, thin and pretty once. She had a small tattoo of a koi fish on her upper right arm, and coppery-red curls. Her eyes were clouded over with the breath of a recent death. Her neck had been savagely ripped into, her body was badly bruised from being deposited under the board walk. Tiny crabs had began their dance, taking scraps of meat from her pale face.  
Brady, my team mate affirmed to me that she was only seventeen. She had been fermenting under the boardwalk for three days until a group of surfers happened upon her body.  
"Dear God..." I heard Brady murmur as we made our way under the police tape. "I thought the horror was over." He spoke softly to the police chief on hand keeping stray reporters at bay. Brady's forehead creased in a grimace, "Was this one of the missing girls?"  
The police chief nodded. His badge read: Brooks. He had salt and pepper hair, a dark tan and looked as weathered and beaten as some of the wood holding up the boardwalk. "Sure was, Brady. If you ask me I think its the same sickos from the fall."  
I spoke up, unable to control my anxiousness. "You mean, there were more?"  
He glanced at me, unsure of my presence. Brady introduced me as the new kid on the team, "This is Rowan Rassmussen."  
Brooks continued to regard me doubtfully, "Yes. Sadly, last autumn we had a series of missing persons and murders occur. It started with a young drifter, Star was her name. According to her friends she had gotten mixed up with some gang and they hadn't seen her until she was found half buried in the sand, head decapitated from her body..." Brooks took off his shades to reveal moody blue eyes. "After she was discovered it wasn't very long until more girls started disappearing and turning up dead. Their heads either decapitated or throats slashed open like this one. We took in suspects but they were all innocent. All our leads went cold."  
"It's becoming too common of an occurrence here." Brady said thoughtfully, running a hand through his brown and silver streaked hair.

After the first murder five more surfaced. Brady and I interviewed numerous grieving family members, and angered town's people. Everyone wanted one thing and that was justice. Work was getting dangerous. People didn't want to talk about the things they couldn't control. Some would get angry and chase us off. I was thankful for Brady at times like these, he could keep a level head and his age was an advantage in most situations when mine wouldn't be.  
As the summer progressed so did the serial murders.  
It was in late August when Brady and I were separated and I was given the advantage to prove myself. "You got this, kiddo," Brady said steadily with a pat on my back. I was nervous, more nervous than when I first came to Santa Carla. It had been one thing interviewing all those people, and being on crime scenes _with_ Brady, but now I would be _alone._  
I went out that night to the boardwalk where I had several leads of this first victim "Star", and her friends.  
One guy in particular who went by the name Dez was said to hang around California Customs tattoo and piercing. Supposedly he had been close with Star and several other victims.  
I made my way to the tattoo parlor, bringing only my camera and a pad of paper. Dez was said to be somewhat of the cocky sort, he didn't like to be bothered either. But I had lived the underground lifestyle back home. So-called goth stars like Dez wouldn't be a match for me.  
After sunset I arrived at California Customs, looking for a guy who met his description. A pale man with lengthy black and blue hair sat outside, decked out in his black attire, complete with combat boots and a thread bare tank top showing his tattoos off. He had a handsome face, but his eyes read otherwise. Who knew? This could be our killer.  
I started out slow with my approach, I didn't want to seem suspicious because the second he realized I was a journalist I knew he would shut down and shove off. I had to keep cool, and play off my dark charm. I went to the railing and stared off at the blooming sunset, dark reds and purples drew ligatures across the sky. I could feel the weight of his eyes pressing into me, it was smooth sailing here on out.  
I heard the approach of his heavy boots and then the low purr of his voice. "Hey there," He said leaning onto the railing next to me. I looked as uninterested as I could manage. "Dez," he mentioned, extending his hand.  
I gave a coy grin, and accepted his hand. "Rowan," I replied.  
"Are you new here?" He asked looking up and down my body.  
I nodded an affirmative, saying that I was going to start college in the fall. We left the boardwalk, heading out towards the shore. He continued to drone on about his life here, the sick places to catch a high, dark corners to party and some choice clubs. Eventually I got to the meat of the conversation. "So… have you heard much about the murders?"  
Dez stiffened, he was visibly uncomfortable about the topic. "Murders?"  
"Yes," I continued, dropping my bashful act from earlier. "The missing girls?"  
"Oh…those…" he scratched at his neck with a couple black fingernails. "Yeah I've seen it on the news."  
I shrugged, "It's sad about what happened to that one girl… Star, I think was her name."  
His eyes lit up at the mention of the name. "How do you know Star?"  
"I've heard people talk about her at college," I deflected. "I heard she was one of the first victims."  
Dez nodded, "She was. She died in the fall…last year."  
I turned to him, "So you knew Star?"  
He shrugged, "I mean… yeah sort of. She frequented some of my hang outs, came by the shop sometimes." Dez's hair blew softly in the wind. "She was a nice girl. Just got in with the wrong side of the culture… if you dig."  
"No… what do you mean?"  
"Ah… just some guys. They were in a gang. Star had a thing for the main guy and I think she got a little too serious with some dark underground clubs." Dez appeared uncomfortable. "There are some strange things around this place. I think Star just uncovered a secret better left dead." He gave me an even glance, an unsure cold glare. "Say, what are you pushing for exactly?"  
I had to keep my cool, I put on the same stone wall regard as Brady might. "Just curious is all," I punctuated the end with a wink.  
He seemed to accept this, "Well, if I were you I'd keep it simple. There is definitely something unsettling going on around town."  
I was curious in the way he spoke about secrets and the disappearing girl. Eventually the conversation turned away from the serial murders back to some clubs Dez noted were exclusive. "Are you busy tonight, Rowan? I could take you to the Black Lily… It's not far from here, if your not up past your bedtime," he said with a wink. The pale moon lit up his face, and the thunderous roar of motorcycles filled the air.  
I felt strangely compelled to take him up on the offer. But my better instincts kicked in, and I hesitated. "No thanks," I responded checking the time. I had gotten enough information from Dez, I didn't want to get too close to a lead. My clear-headed Brady intelligence was bleeding through.  
I looked into his dark eyes, there was something behind them that was sinister, and I had just unleashed the beast when I turned down his offer. "Hold on, I just want to talk. No reason to get hostile, Rowan. I just want to talk—" Dez stopped talking and turned to observe a hand holding onto his shoulder.  
The man behind him called his name. Commanding attention it resounded in the night. Dez froze and his breathing became shallow. "Dez?" the voice said again.  
"David," Dez replied not turning. He seemed dazed, scared.  
Behind Dez stood the most stunning man I had ever seen. His deep blue eyes seemed to stare directly through him. He was well over six feet tall and had platinum blond hair as white as the moon. I reeled in my own helpless bewilderment, as he appeared to loom over both of us with those piercing blue eyes. He glared at Dez, like his eyes could burn directly through his body. "Where you going anyway, _buddy?_ " I understood "buddy" wasn't a term of endearment for Dez.  
He whirled around and sneered at the man behind him.  
I hear two more guys laugh behind the blond. I turned to leave when I bump into someone. "Sorry," I begin, but one of the guys accompanying the blond cuts me off. This one is pale with shoulder-length dirty blond hair and brown eyes. He gives off an aura of a rocker, looks a bit like a rock star himself.  
"You're kinda cute," he says, "You wanna ditch this crowd and have some fun?"  
I blush and he laughs when he notices. Another guy emerges from the group. This one is wearing a tattered jean jacket. His hair is equally long and curly, he's much shorter than the others. He owns a grin much like the rocker. He says, "Really cute. Too cute for you, Paul."  
He rushes the guy in the blue jean jacket and punches him sharply in the back. "You're a bastard Marko."  
Turning on my heel I start to walk off when I hear Marko call, "This your boyfriend or something?" He glances at Dez, who is cornered by the platinum blond wielding a knife.  
Paul smiles at me, "I can be your boyfriend." He finishes this with a chorus of giddy laughter.  
"Just back off David, ok?" Dez stammers.  
"Little late for that, buddy," says another guy, wearing a leather jacket with long black hair.  
"Go to hell, Dwayne," Dez yells.  
The blond puts up his knife, "We're already there, Dez."  
In saying this he receives a chorus of laughter from the group.  
My camera had fell from my pocket and landed near Paul. "What's this for anyway, are you a photographer, or do you work for the pigs?"  
I quickly grabbed it back and glared evenly at him. "Fuck off."  
Dez maneuvers away from the group.  
"What are you doing preying on innocent girls?"  
He swallowed loudly and glanced around.  
"Get lost, Dez."  
And with his final remark Dez fled, his black and blue hair waving behind him like a banner.  
I pause checking the time, and smile awkwardly. "Hey thanks."  
The platinum blond gives me a nod and a half-annoying smile.  
I start to leave when the rocker intercepts me. "Hey, hey, hey… what's the rush?"  
I blush again and step to pass him.  
Marko and the one with long black hair appear next in my path. "Come back, we were just getting acquainted," Marko teases.  
"Fuck off, creep," I repeat and start heading back to the boardwalk.  
"You should just be glad David interfered," The black haired one responded with a sneer.  
"I'm sure David will share," Paul laughed whimsically.  
I walk away quickly, feeling their gaze burning into my back.  
"Hey! You're pretty quick!" Paul exclaims running in front of me.  
"Why are you following me?" I say angrily.  
David appears next to me almost immediately. "Why aren't you following us?"  
David steps into my line of vision. "What have you got to lose?" he reaches out for my hand.  
Without coherent thought I take his hand and descend into the mouth of the night.

I woke groggily with pain booming in my temples. I blinked at the harsh light filtering into the room… the room… where was I?  
I was in a room with a high rocky ceiling. The sound of the surf was deafening and harsh sunlight shone directly into the dusty room. I was laying on a bed with ruffled, wrinkled sheets. Posters were draped around, banners and flags hung against the walls. This was like a cave, I thought. I spotted motorcycles standing in a row, and then it all came back.  
Details of last night flooded in quickly.  
I remembered my encounter with Dez, and how he had been chased off. Those chilling blue eyes of David's entered my mind. I felt like I was fighting with two inner voices. One was telling me to remember and the other was urging me to forget. I caught patchy flickers of my memories. I remembered leaving with David, getting on his bike as they sped into the night. We were headed back to their hang out, I summarized. All thought of my job left as quickly as it had arrived, my entire conscious was focused on this particular moment. We partook in some alcohol and passed around a joint. As the night wore thin the others dispersed leaving only David and I.  
"What do you know about the murders?" I asked impulsively, almost too soon I thought.  
David just grinned and pushed the question aside. "Why do you wanna know about that anyway?"  
"Just curious," I remained, leaning into his side.  
"I know enough, Rowan," He said leaning in to kiss me.  
I deflected his advance and pushed him aside. He beamed playfully, and put an arm around my waist. "You're too curious for your own good," He whispered and I felt the brush of his lips against my neck. I didn't push back this time. He continued to kiss my neck, and I felt a slight nip of his teeth against the skin. We were laying back on the bed as he continued, moving to my lips and I felt his tongue lashing in my mouth. He pulled back and sat up, looking down at me. _"Get some sleep, Rowan,"_ David said running a hand through my hair. I looked up through my blurry vision, my eyes growing heavier. I watched David's eyes turn into an orange color, and I felt the sting of his teeth burrow into my flesh.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Get some sleep, Rowan..."_  
I shivered as I left the cave. The sun was so bright today. My camera swayed around my neck loosely from its strap. My neck was sore. I put a hand to it and felt nothing. There was no scab or wound to speak of.

It was noon by the time I came to work. Brady was there looking tired and worn as ever. He handed me a styrofoam cup of black coffee.  
"You look beat, kiddo." Brady remarked.  
I smiled weakly, and took the cup, "Thanks." I slowly sipped the coffee.  
"Up all night chasing leads?"  
"Find any details?" This came from Brooks the police chief from the first murder.  
I shrugged, "I followed a lead on a local tattoo artist, Dez. You ever heard of him?" Brooks said nothing only shook his head. I continued, "He said he was pretty close to Star. He mentioned a gang she got caught up in, said she got into the wrong side of the culture and she found out some secrets better left dead. I don't know what he meant."  
Brooks' blue eyes stared out the window. "Secrets? Sounds like our guy knew a little more than what he led on."  
Brady looked doubtful, "Maybe I should pursue this one, you look a little uneasy, Rowan."  
"I've got this one, Brady," Brooks said. We watched as Brooks left down the hall and into the blinding sunlight.  
"Something bad happen, kid?" Brady asked pouring himself another cup of coffee.  
"No, I just feel like I haven't even scratched the surface of the murders. There's more out there."  
"How do you figure?"  
I shrugged, thumbing through my journal. "I don't know." I got a sudden flash back of the cave and the way the moon glimmered off the water. There was more to this case than what anyone was telling me. David knew something, so did those other creeps he hung with.

I was out again that night at the boardwalk.  
There was a girl working at a piercing booth, she had red hair and half of it was shaved, her name was Beckett. We talked about the missing girls. Her sister had been a victim, Tatiana Bordeaux. "Tatiana was seeing this guy, I don't know his name because she never brought him by, but he was... average build, kinda wavy dirty blond hair, weird laugh and crazy eyes."  
 _"Paul,"_ I thought to myself. "How was Tatiana's behavior before she went missing?" I asked hearing my stomach growl audibly.  
Beckett didn't seem to notice. "She was secretive. Very reserved, I guess you could say. She would sneak out of the house at night to go to clubs and parties... I guess. She never told us, just came and went at her own time. Then one night I had just come home from work and Tatiana was about to leave the house. I stopped her and asked her where she was going to, but she didn't even halt. She just walked right past me, got in her car and left. I tried following her but she got away, took some strange back roads and disappeared in the night. I waited up all night for her. I would drive out in the night and go looking, I could never find that guy of hers though." Beckett paused and looked around, "If you ask me it was that guy, the one she was dating. Because when they found her body they said she had been sexually assaulted, and her throat was torn apart... Just like the other ones."  
There was a guy who seen my press pass and asked if I was reporting on the missing girls. His name was Akito. He was almost six feet tall and had shoulder length black hair. His lip was pierced twice, and his arms were covered in tattoos. "I used to know Star," Akito admitted. "She was hanging out on the boardwalk a couple nights back in October she was cool. We were gonna get a pizza when these guys rolled up who were in with Star. Apparently, she was dating this guy with ultra blond hair..."  
"What was his name?" I pressed. Akito shrugged, trying to remember. "David?" I asked before I could stop the words.  
"Yes," Akito replied. "That was his name... Star left with them after that David guy offered to race me. I turned them down, I figured she wasn't worth the trouble. I stopped seeing Star and eventually she turned up dead." Akito shivered, "I never really thought about it much, but maybe I could have saved her."  
"How was her behavior before she went missing?"  
"She was really mysterious, kept to herself a lot. Quite a few guys knew her and they said the same, she teased them into following her until those guys showed up, and they either went after them or stayed away. The guys though, the ones who followed her when they came back they were always a little shook up, acted strange. Some went missing too, when their bodies show up they're a lot worse off than those girls. Like an animal got to them...ripped them to pieces."

It was then I decided to go after David. He seemed to be a key component to all of this. I just needed to stay away from the cave and keep my cool.  
I heard laughter a little way up the boardwalk. Paul was there talking to a pretty blond girl in cut-off jean shorts. He said something to her that made her face turn red and she giggled again. I walked up and gave Paul a cool glance.  
"Rowan," Paul beamed.  
"Hi," I said coming closer.  
"Beat it," Paul said to the girl in the shorts. She gave us both a sideways glance and walked off. "What are you doing back? Looking for some action?"  
I shook my head, "What do you know about Star? And these missing girls?"  
He glimpsed my gray press pass and shook his head. "I knew you were working for the pigs!"  
I shrugged, "C'mon, Paul. What do you know?"  
"Wouldn't you like to know," He grinned playfully. I glared at him and started to walk off. "Ah, don't give up so fast."  
"What do you know about Tatiana Bordeaux?"  
His eyes grew serious, I knew I had him. "Yeah, I knew Tatiana... nice girl, tall, slender, gorgeous eyes... She went missing back in November I think."  
"How so? What was her behavior like?"  
Paul winked, "I'll tell ya when you're older, Rowan." He started to walk off and I grabbed his shoulder.  
"Tell me more. Tell me all you know."  
He shook his head, "You don't _really_ want to know, some things are just better off dead, you feel? Have you ever heard about letting the dead stay dead?"  
"Some would rather have _justice._ "  
"What's justice worth to a girl like you?"  
I flicked the pass, "It's my job. Some people would rather have closure than questions."  
"Closure?" This came from David. He was behind us both, slowly smoking a cigarette. He grinned at me, and flipped the ashes off the orange tip. "Hi, Rowan."  
I blushed, even though I couldn't imagine why. "David," I said quietly.  
"What's all the talk about closure?" David asked taking a drag off his cigarette. Next to him was Marko and Dwayne.  
"What do you know about Star? And the missing girls?" I said impatiently.  
His face was calm, hiding any notion of what I was referring to. "Star..." he repeated. "Yeah, we knew Star."  
"I've heard a few leads mention you guys, so what are your ties with the missing girls?"  
"I used to date Star," David said finishing his cigarette. "She didn't have any family, so she stayed with us. Some of the others did too, but they came and went."  
"And you have no grief over their deaths?" I said growing more impatient.  
David grinned, " Of course I miss her, sweet kid, she just disappeared one night. Horrible things people can do."  
"You're full of shit," I said rolling my eyes and walking away at the sound of laughter.  
"Why don't you come back with us, Rowan." David said alluringly. He leaned back against the railing. "I'll show you something spectacular." A little twinkle, a glimmer of mischief shown in those eyes.  
I shook my head, "I've got a job to do."  
He appeared next to me, "I insist," he said with a half-smile.  
"Where are we going?" I asked dreamily.  
"We'll go somewhere private," he replied, "Just me and you."  
"Hmm... as romantic as that sounds," I picked up my pad and pen, "I have other obligations."  
"What have you got to lose?" he asked, so close to my ear now. He nudged the lobe with his lips. He started to walk off the boardwalk and glanced back, "Follow me."

It was dark in the cave. I knew I shouldn't be here.  
It was dimly lit with candles, the orange light flickering around the room. Some birds flew about, the crashing waves outside roaring. We were on the bed, David sat on top of me as we made out. The night wore on and we were laying next to each other staring at the ceiling. We hadn't had sex, though I wouldn't object to it. I rolled on to my side as I stared at David.  
"Still wanna know about the dead girls?" he asked. I nodded in response. "Truth is... I don't know anything. You're better off letting the story go."  
I glared at him. "What are you hiding, anyway?"  
"Nothing," he responded lighting up a cigarette.  
"Who do you think you're fooling?"  
He kissed the tip of my nose, "You, apparently." He sat up and I watched as he walked around the cave. Under a black sheet he pulled out a tall glass bottle, ringed with red jewels, silver and gold held them in place. He tipped the bottle back, closing his eyes with each sip. "Your turn," David said offering me the bottle of dark red liquid.  
I stared at it doubtfully. "What is it?"  
"You ask a lot of questions."  
"I'm a journalist. It's in my nature."  
He gave a wry smile. "Drink and find out."  
I tipped the strange bottle back and drank deep. It was odd. The taste was similar to strawberry preserves. It was like staring into another world. I could hear the world around me, voices echoing. I heard David mutter something, than unfamiliar voices of girls. First came laughter, than mumbled words, and at last crying.  
I pulled out of that place draped in red. David was sitting across from me, holding the bottle under an arm. "I think you've had enough, kiddo."  
"What is that?" I asked feeling my head grow fuzzy, my arms tingled and my eyes were heavy.  
David only smiled back and watched as I sunk into a dream.

That night I dreamed of the place I had seen while drinking. It was a red beach, red sand, red water and black skies. Girls were there. There were many of them, twirling about on the shore mumbling words and bubbling laughter. I stepped onto the sand, they didn't look at me, their eyes were distant. I reached out to touch them, and watched as they dispersed into mist. Forming again after minutes of being gone.  
I continued further down the shore, the landscape remained the same, speckled around with girls and a few guys. There was one lone girl sitting by the waves. She had thick curly brown hair, and thin white clothes with a clingy dark skirt. I came up to her, observing her features. I sat down next to her and felt the cool water lap over my feet.  
 _"Don't trust David."_ She whispered. Her lips were bleeding. Her eyes were staring off at the horizon. _"Don't trust David... he's not like you. He's unnatural."_ She shook as if cold, and tears formed in her eyes. Blood began to stain her shirt, and the laceration on her neck expanded. She reached for the cut and wailed, _"You CAN'T go back! You can't go back!"_ Her head toppled to the sand, her eyes clouded over.  
The girls and guys whipped around, staring directly at me. They began to weep, and blood covered their clothes. Their necks torn apart, blood, blood so much blood everywhere. I kept running even though no one was chasing me.

And then I was back in the cave, lying on the bed with my neck throbbing in time with my heart.  
I was terrified from the dream.  
David wasn't there. The room was empty aside a few fluttering birds. Music was playing from upstairs, I saw a ladder leaning next to a huge opening. I reached for the ladder but I stepped back. I took out my camera and began photographing the inside of the cave. I found the bottle under the sheet and took several pictures of it from different angles. If I could just unravel this secret I knew the mysteries of the dead would come flooding in.  
My dream was an omen. A warning from the dead. I figured that everyone I seen on that beach had been victims of the murderer, those missing girls all turned up dead. And something inside of me screamed that the identity of the girl who warned me was Star...


	3. Chapter 3

_"Where are you going Rowan?"  
_ I turned on my heel searching for the source of voice. No one was around, the only sound was the loud metal coming from upstairs. The bright sun was hurting my eyes so I stuck to the shadows. I couldn't spend another second here but I couldn't seem to take the sunlight either. I picked up a pair of shades from the floor and headed out. I couldn't believe how close I had let myself get to David. _Was I putting myself in danger?_ A stronger part of me said yes, but I was too stubborn to care. I liked the dangerous feeling even though it meant my life.  
The sunlight was hurting, I was barely able to drive to work. My head was buzzing with sound. I felt like I was going mad. I kept recalling the screams and cries from my dream, and hearing David's words float through my mind.

"Hey kiddo," Brady called outside my office, "There's a guy here to see you."  
I stopped examining the images on my laptop and sat straight up. _Oh no._ I thought to myself. "Who is it?"  
"Akito Jett? Says you interviewed him last night?" Brady paused, "Do you want me to tell him you're not in?"  
"No, Brady, just let him come in, it's fine."  
When Akito came in the door I figured that I must look crazy. The shades were drawn in my office, and the lights were dim. The only light came from my laptop, which I closed as soon as he turned the knob.  
"Hello, Akito. What can I do for you?" I asked with a yawn. He was wearing a pair of camouflage cargo shorts and a plain black t-shirt.  
"You feeling ok, Rowan? You look tired, very tired... Little hung over or something?"  
I shook my head, "No, no I'm fine, just a little sleepy. I was out very late."  
In all honesty I _knew_ that something was very wrong with me. I felt the change within as I had crawled my way back. The haunting images of my dreams fluttered through my mind.  
Akito nodded and took a seat in one of the blue and green stripped chairs at the head of my desk. "What can I do for you?"  
He shook his head in disbelief of himself, "You aren't going to believe me even for a second."  
"Try me," I replied rubbing my eyes from sleep. "I've seen some strange things since I've moved here."  
He smiled shyly, looking uncomfortable sitting in his chair. "I was thinking about the stories my grandmother used to tell me when I was younger... maybe it can help you out with your investigation. You see, my grandmother's from Poland. She used to tell me stories of these creatures of the night, _Upier_ she called them. They're much like our own idea of a _vampire.  
_ " _Vampires,_ Akito?" I said wearily.  
"Just hear me out please before you shut me out. These creatures were known to once be humans. They spend most of their waking _lives_ stalking the night—"  
"Akito, maybe you should go, I have some serious work to do," I began.  
"Rowan, just listen. These creatures were a real, almost serious threat to people in her culture."  
I cleared my throat, "So…what you're saying is that _you_ believe our serial murderer is a vampire, or an _upier?_ "  
"Yes! But there are other names for their kind. Call them what you like, anything from penanggalan, to lamia, to **vampire**. There has to be something behind the myth. Nearly every culture has at least one version of the vampire." Akito gave me an even stare. "I know you know those guys who Star used to hang with. So _you_ tell me, do they not fit the description of a killer? Or in the very least a _vampire_?"  
I sighed and pressed a finger into my temple. "Akito, I think you should go."  
"Don't… please, Rowan. Those guys are evil. There is some serious magic surrounding them. Their aura is wicked."  
"This is nonsense." I said opening my laptop again to review the pictures I took last night.  
Akito looked concerned, "Is that what is it?" I swear I saw you and David leave the boardwalk together. You were under some trance-"  
"STOP!" I yelled standing up, hands balled into fists. "This is madness." I said calming down when I saw the look of utter horror in his eyes.  
He regained his composure, "I used to know some guys when I was growing up. They went by the Frog Brothers. They used to hunt the living dead, but most importantly _vampires_."  
I sat down in my chair, shocked at how serious he was.  
"They got careless one night, some vampire on the east end of town took them both out and bled them dry." He held a newspaper article depicting their deaths. He had an orange envelope which he also opened to reveal two crime scene photographs of their corpses. They both looked dried up and mangled, they were so pale and delicate looking, and the terror etched in their faces was powerful. "I don't think it was one of the murderers who did it. This vampire acted out of malice. If you look, the other murders had been carried out in almost the same fashion, a little blood gone here, and then necks ripped into and heads missing."  
I couldn't stop looking at the article, reading the death as a _homicide._ It wasn't premeditated by the aggressor, it all looked rushed as opposed to the other killings.  
"If you ask me, I think it was a rogue vampire that slipped into town." He picked up the pictures and article. "Vampires do that sometimes. The one's that haven't found a place where they can belong or hide among the living. In a way I sort of knew they were vampires when Star was with them, that's why I didn't go." Akito looked me dead in the eyes, "They have strange rituals each group of vampires. They have a way of picking off weaker members by giving them blood-"  
" _Blood?"_  
He nodded, "Yeah blood. It's blood from the main vampire. The blood has magical properties, it essentially kills of the living blood and tissue of the chosen individual, and if they survive the ritual they are changed into a vampire... most victims don't make it through the first step. I truly believe that all those dead girls showing up are one's chosen by the vampires who haunt this town. They mutilate the corpses to make it seem like a serial killer." He was quiet, assessing my expression, and continued. "Star's head was decapitated, so I think she got past the first step but she wouldn't drink blood, or she couldn't kill. A vampire that doesn't drink blood is as good as dead. They turn on their handler's because they don't know what else to do. So when she turned on David, I think he killed her because he couldn't stop her."  
"Akito, what do you want me to do?"  
"Do you believe me?"  
I didn't really know if I did, or if I could. Things were lining up fast. A lot faster than I intended them to. "I don't know... I need to see things with my own eyes." My stomach cramped again, I tried not to fall over in pain.  
"You know where they den. Show me, please and we can end this attack as swiftly as it started." He replied, eyes glowing.  
"Is that a good idea? Surely they will know we're coming."  
He shook his head, "Neither of us have partaken in their blood, so our thoughts are safe from any telepathy. The only thing they will be able to do is sense our blood in our veins."  
I shivered because I knew. _I knew_ at last what was within that bottle.

We left in the evening. A few hours before sundown, but I still felt that this wasn't enough. We should have went earlier or waited another day. But Akito didn't want to wait.  
I stopped my car back in the woods on the outskirts of the den. The top of the cave was posted with no trespassing signs, but we continued down the creaking wooden stairs. I carried my camera with me, feeling the material scrape against the sensitive side of my neck. "This is it," I said to Akito as we stepped into the cool darkness of the cave. Their was enough amber colored light to see clearly but I didn't feel safe.  
"Just keep quiet and stay with me," Akito whispered.  
We walked around the bottom to get a better feel for our surroundings in the event of an accident. I knew I was just leading us to them. In his sleep could David sense us? Know my thoughts? I tried not to focus on it and just kept my head clear but I had a horrible sickening feeling the more we stayed.  
Eventually Akito went to the ladder and began climbing. I watched fearfully as the arsenal of wooden stakes on his back swayed with each step. This was so crazy, I couldn't believe I was here, especially hoping to find _vampires_.  
 _"Where are you going, Rowan?"  
_ That was not Akito.  
I froze, my hand on the ladder and a foot poised to enter, the loud music progressed. I grabbed Akito's leg. He stared down at me, "What?"  
I shook my head trying to tell him not to go. "Don't do it."  
He sighed, "Why not?"  
I scrambled for an answer, I couldn't very well tell him that I heard David's voice pounding in my head. "Have you ever done this before, _Akito?"  
_ "Well... no." He answered. "I haven't. But I know what to do. I went with the Frog brothers a few times before their accident."  
I looked outside watching the sun fall closer to the horizon. I looked back at Akito to see him climbing up the ladder. "We've got to act, the sun's almost down. Their power will be stronger if we continue to wait," he said crawling through the blackness of the upstairs. I watched in horror as he waited for me to come. "I need you Rowan... If something happens to me," he paused to exhale, "you've got to finish the job."  
I slowly climbed after him, keeping an eye on the sunset. The closer we got the louder the music grew, and the colder the air became. Akito and I had turned on our flash lights following through a narrow gap. Suddenly, the music stopped.  
I froze but Akito continued, apparently unabashed. I shook his leg, "Didn't you hear that?"  
"I can't hear you over the music."  
I tried not to think about it and kept going further. Maybe I was beyond Akito's senses now.  
And there it was, the end of our journey, the opening of a larger cave. In this section of the cave was a large stereo, which apparently ran off of batteries. There was am empty threadbare couch, and a tall ceiling with a steel bar stretching across the top, holding up-  
They were there, hanging by their feet. Holding on to the steel bar.  
I stifled a scream and checked Akito for a reaction. He just stood there, pale and quivering.  
"What do we do?" I slowly whispered.  
He shook his head in silence. But there was something _wrong._ My better intuition told me to check the guys... Marko was there, Dwayne and Paul... but no David-  
"Rowan." This came from behind us. I turned and stared at David. Sitting on the tattered and torn couch. "Who's your friend?" he asked almost sweetly.  
"We know what you are, _bloodsucker!_ " Akito yelled.  
David laughed, "I guess you would, especially seeing what you're seeing."  
Akito reached for a stake, but halted. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." David cautioned standing from the couch. He voice dropped a little, his eyes turned a fiery orange and his fangs curved over his bottom lip. He half grinned again, which slowly melted away. "It's almost sundown, they'll be awake soon. Sooner if I wake them."  
"Don't do it, Akito." I said quietly.  
David looked at me. "So at last you found out. You're the only one to find out without having to be told when you grow fangs and burn in the sunlight. So bravo, kiddo. I knew there was something different about you." He said approvingly, "The hunger has already took root. I'll expect the change soon... of course you'll have to die first, and _if_ you wake up you'll become one of us." His expression grew solemn, "Never grow old, and you will never die."  
"You've been feeding off of me this whole time?" David nodded as if it were second nature. "I can't be like you, David."  
"Little do you know that's not so much of your choice anymore. You wanted this, I can read it all over you." He picked up something from the floor, and turned it in his hands. It was white, like bone... it was bone, a human skull. "You want to know about the missing girls? Looks like you and Van Helsing already know."  
"But you didn't drink the blood, Rowan." Akito whispered.  
"Yes, I did," I said in a whisper. "David, let us go." I paused and felt another hunger pang. I crumpled on the ground and felt the sharp stabbing hunger fill up my stomach.  
"It's already taking hold." He said quietly, eyes burning brightly.  
"What did you do to her?" Akito screamed.  
"Get out," I said weakly to Akito.  
I watched as David grinned and took a step forward. "I suggest you leave before you don't get the chance."  
He turned to leave and bumped into something soft and cold.  
Akito screamed when he looked into Paul's face.


	4. Chapter 4

My head throbbed. My legs and arms were sore. Everything felt heavy and loud.  
I was lying on the bed which I had spent few nights in. It was dark, this section was cold.  
I slowly got out of the bed and made my way to the noise coming from the center of the room.  
There was Akito tied to a wooden chair. His lip was bleeding slowly. His open eyes were red and swollen.  
My camera was gone, not that it could have done me a lot of good. I didn't feel my cell phone in my pocket either.  
It was night, the moon was beginning to rise which meant we hadn't been out for long. Then there was a new sound I hadn't noticed before. Music. Loud music blaring from across the room. Marko and Paul lay back on the floor attempting to sing along with the music. It was The Doors I realized, the song was "The End". How fitting I thought crazily to myself.  
My stomach growled loudly. I was so hungry. So thirsty. Was this it? The final step? Would I go mad listening to The Doors or kill Akito for his blood?  
The music stopped, Paul sat up and yelled, "Hey! I was listening to that, shit head!"  
Dwayne laughed at the two on the floor. "Get up," He said nudging Marko with the toe of his boot.  
"I'm movin', I'm movin'..." he grumbled.  
The three walked over to Akito and I. Paul smiled sweetly and took my arm in his. "Don't do anything hasty," he cautioned.  
Akito watched as we walked away. "Don't listen to them Rowan!" He yelled frantically.  
"Can I waste this guy already?" Marko asked irritated.  
Dwayne shook his head, "Wouldn't dream of it."  
"Rowan! Fight back!" Akito yelled louder.  
"Marko, go keep him quiet," Dwayne said coolly. Marko stomped his way back to Akito.  
David was standing at the mouth of the cave. He was striking, the moon and flames flickering around the room cast colorful shadows across his face. Paul and Dwayne fell back and I walked bravely to David waiting for me.  
"You're going to kill me, aren't you?"  
"You really need to get out of California, Rowan. This place is making you paranoid." David walked back inside, the orange glow blossoming over his face. "Okay... I _was_ going to kill you, but I changed my mind. Watching you this week has got me thinking of all the fun we could have together. You really don't give up, do you?... What do you say, can I win you away from your job and that kid over there? Your human life has almost ran it's course."  
"Am I dying?" I asked David.  
"Do you feel it? The new blood fighting yours? You're change is almost complete. Before the night is over _you will die_." He reached out a hand to me and ran it down my cheek. "Then you will rise tomorrow night. And you won't be Rowan Rasmussen ever again."  
I didn't quiver or look away. "That's it? My only choice?"  
He shrugged, "You can try to leave. But a rouge vampire is as good as a dead one. If you don't get killed by the sun or get staked because you don't know where to hide, then you will get carried away from feeding. Somebody will see you and stop you. We can't have humans knowing we exist. Those humans tend to meet a bad end."  
I stood there quietly trying to sum it all up. David stood impatiently waiting for my response. "If I join you, will the murders stop?"  
He sighed, "When you become a vampire you won't care about the humans. The bodies you found were the one's who didn't survive the blood. The weak ones."  
"What will happen to Akito?"  
David shrugged, "That's all really up to him. Guy's just a little shook up tonight. If he's a good boy we'll let him go." For a moment I stood quietly watching the glimmer in David's eyes. "Are you with us?" David asked extending his hand.  
I paused, thinking this was the last rational thought I would have, the last possible thought I would have as a human. If I chose to leave my normal life behind I wouldn't be able to see Brady anymore, or get sun burns and eat food, real human food. This was the last thing I would do before I died.  
And I took his hand.

Dying wasn't so bad.  
Nor was it what I expected.  
I imagined the same screams of pain and dark blood colored images from my dreams. But it was nothing like that.  
I was dead for a moment, I knew nothing, I felt nothing. The air around me was thick and smoky black, but I couldn't consciously think about it. It simply was than it wasn't like a switch being flipped.  
Then I become acutely aware of myself. Death was a dark blue field of grass stretching up high to my naked chest. The field went on for miles, never seeming to end. There were a few people walking slowly in a line. They looked like they were made from gray newsprint. I heard hushed voices whispering around me, in the grass, in the trees. Eventually the chants grew louder and faster. They all seemed to say the same thing, _"Go away, you don't belong here, you don't_ _belong."_ It wasn't from the lips of the dead, but rather from large great horned owls perched in the black branches of the trees, and unknown sources in the grass.  
I heard rushing water too. I was close to a riverbank. Was this the river of styx? I didn't want to know, or look into the tired old eyes of Charon.  
I kept walking and soon the voices quieted down. Out this far into the field there were no more owls watching you, keeping you in line. It felt like I had spent days just walking nude through the flat blue field. However, it was most likely a few strides, time was strange here very unpredictable. And then I saw a light. Pure white light, coming through a crack, through a rip in the night sky. So I climbed through and disappeared. This didn't last long, I seemed to be attached to my physical body by a strand of silver.

I woke with a start. Gasping for breath and clawing at my throat.  
The high ceiling of the cave greeted me, so did David's large blue eyes. He calmed me down, reassuring me with gentle words. Everything was beautiful. The aroma from the sea, sounds of night life coming from town, and the stars burning in the dark sky. Everything was brighter, I could see in the dark. I heard tiny bats flapping their leathery wings and smelled their blood.  
"How was your trip?"  
I sat up, my body felt stiff. I stretched out and yawned. "I'm thirsty," I said quietly, staring into David's eyes.  
He grinned and leaned back into the bed. "Good to see that you're awake."  
I disregarded what he said, I kept drinking in the new senses which I indulged in so greatly. The smell of the sheets was luxurious, despite their dirty and moldy stench. I felt like I had never seen David before. His beautiful pale skin was immaculate, his voice was wonderful, it was like a finely tuned guitar.  
"I'm thirsty," I exhaled and climbed off the bed.  
I realized then that Akito was gone, but I didn't care that he was gone. That he was _dead._ Nothing seemed to matter to me anymore. Was this part of being a vampire? I felt like I had a new sense of belonging of where I needed to be. I was so wound up in these new sensations I craved more. I continued to walk to the edge of the cave and peered out at the night sky. The moon was so big and bright. It was a fresh night. The moon was young and pretty, draped in clouds of lace. Colorful lights from town erupted interfering with the gorgeous moon dangling above the ocean. I focused my senses and I could hear people on the boardwalk, and their tinkling laughter. I heard the distant chatter of surfers and dogs barking.  
I felt my fangs grow within my mouth when I thought about blood, about the people attached to that laughter, the moon, the screeching bats and hearing distant thuds of hearts. My fangs were sharp and lean, like twin stilettos.  
I impatiently waited for David. Paul and Marko stood by me staring outside.  
They looked longingly into the blackness, like this was their first time seeing the night, being immersed in it's glory.  
"Let's go crash a party," Paul said with a laugh.  
David and Dwayne walked after us. I climbed behind Paul on his motorcycle and the five of us sped into the night. The cold air rushed over me, sounds and sights entered my body with noises and tastes. The air tasted like happiness, like excitement, like euphoria.  
"This is it," Paul jeered walking up a mound of sand behind David and I. Down below in the bowl of the land danced and cheered a group of teenagers. The world had turned a fiery red-orange. It sent visions of flames flickering, and bodies burning into my mind. They pranced around empty cans and kicked up sand in a blur of motion. They reeked of cigarettes and marijuana, like fresh sex trapped in the backseat of a car. They looked so alien to me. They're faces were like a display mannequin's in a clothing store window. I heard hearts racing, teeth clacking together and smelled their sweat.  
We watched and waited hungrily as the group continued their party. I felt like a wolf watching an untended herd of sheep. I took a step forward only to be brought backwards by David.  
"Not like that," he warned. "Observe, learn, react."  
I watched as the four hurtled themselves into the pit, attacking and dragging helpless people into their hungry mouths. Blood dripped in thick channels down David's face and neck. Mentally I felt him reach out to me. _Come with us, Rowan.  
_ I couldn't contain myself any longer and I launched myself after a man scrambling for the trees. I pulled him down to the hard-packed sand and delighted in his horrified expression. I lunged for his neck, missing the first time, hearing his scream of pain. I darted my head forward again and made contact sinking my sharp teeth into his neck. I buried my face in his throat until I felt a slight nudge on my shoulder. It was Marko.  
"Good one," He said approvingly. His face was streaked with drying blood. The man I had attacked was drained. I sat staring with an animated glow to my face, feeling sedated. Marko dragged the corpse off and tossed it onto the fire along with the other bodies burning.  
I felt so alive, and intense. Is this what they felt each night? I felt completely devoid of human emotion. I watched the bodies burn like over-cooked pieces of meat. The fire slowly died down and at last we left the scene, cool and swift like an ocean breeze.

"You did good," David remarked late that night while we lay silently on the bed.  
"I want it again," I replied touching my fangs with my thumb and tongue.  
"Easy, once a night is all it takes. It's easy to get caught in the moment, to be standing on top of the world and then come crashing back down. But you'll get another chance," David replied pushing his warm face into my neck. "You're a real killer," he mumbled, kissing my neck.

I write this as a message, or a warning to anyone who knows that _vampires do indeed exist._  
My word of warning is to stay away. We are in your towns, in your schools, in your homes.  
My story wasn't a long one, and I do not seek to be mourned. My new life, immortal and limitless began the night I woke up from death. In the end I lived a good life, I made a decent living for myself. I was a good person, and a strong woman until the end. I uncovered secrets and learned truths, of which I paid for with my life.  
Sometimes it _is_ better to let the dead stay dead, and leave dark secrets hidden. It _is_ better to just accept things for the way that they are, becuase you may not always enjoy the answers you get to your questions.  
But what kind of a life would that be, to be a frightened child curled up under the covers. To live in fear of what lurks in shadows and graveyards, what howls under the full moon, and fear the unknown. To me, life isn't about surviving danger, it is about falling in love with danger.  
Life is best when one can indulge in **_danger_**.


End file.
